Keller, Piper, and Carson on Why the Reformation Matters Today

In 1517 a young monk and theology professor named Martin Luther nailed 95 theses to a German church door—and the world has never been the same. Protestants mark this anniversary every October 31st, and TGC will devote its entire 2017 National Conference to remembering and celebrating the 500th anniversary of this momentous event.

But what meaning does the Reformation have for us today? What is its ongoing relevance our lives and ministries? TGC president Don Carson kicks off a new roundtable video discussion with this question.

Tim Keller, TGC’s vice president, admits that he while doesn’t own all of the era’s rhetoric and polemical style, the Reformers did get the biblical gospel right and carefully applied it to their own time. As TGC Council member John Piper tersely puts it, “They read their Bibles.”

Carson also quotes one of his mentors, Kenneth Kantzer: “Evangelicalism at is very best is simply the return to the New Testament at its very simplest.” The same can be said of the Reformation, he argues, insofar as it was rooted in the New Testament witness and whole counsel of God.

Watch the full nine-minute video to hear these leaders discuss how the Reformation affects how we relate to the Roman Catholic Church, the positive and negative lessons we should glean from Luther and Calvin, the preacher’s task, and more.